Innovation

The Sandbox: $20 Million Raised At $1 Billion Valuation Cap

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jun 11, 2024

Animoca Brands, the company advancing digital property rights for the open metaverse, and its subsidiary Bacasable Global Limited (operator of The Sandbox), a leading user-generated content (UGC) metaverse platform, announced that The Sandbox has raised $20 million of convertible promissory notes with a $1 billion valuation cap.

BankTech Ventures Reveals Three Recent Investments

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jun 11, 2024

BankTech Ventures, a strategic investment fund transforming community banking through innovative investments, announced its recent investments in three bank-enabling technology companies: Equabli, Filejet, and Monit. And these investments delivers essential solutions personalized to address critical challenges faced by community banks, including impending increase in customer delinquencies and attracting and retaining small-to-medium-sized businesses (SMBs) and adding more value to them.

Kardium: $104 Million Raised To Help Treat Atrial Fibrillation

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jun 11, 2024

Kardium, the developer of the Globe Mapping and Ablation System for the treatment of atrial fibrillation, announced it has raised $104 million in a new funding round. This funding round is led by existing investor Fidelity Management & Research Company, together with follow-on participation by funds and accounts advised by T. Rowe Price Associates and T. Rowe Price Investment Management and new investor Durable Capital Partners LP.

Booz Allen Acquires PAR Government Systems

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jun 11, 2024

Booz Allen Hamilton announced that it has acquired PAR Government Systems Corporation (PGSC), a wholly owned subsidiary of PAR Technology Corporation. This acquisition will combine PGSC’s edge technologies with Booz Allen’s expertise and digital battlespace solutions to accelerate and transform warfighter technology on the front lines.

Cube: $25 Million Raised To Help Companies Manage And Optimize Analytics Workflows

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jun 11, 2024

Cube, the provider of the universal semantic layer for every data app, announced it completed a $25 million funding round with new investor Databricks Ventures and was joined by all the previous investors, including Decibel, Bain Capital Ventures, Eniac Ventures, and 645 Ventures. And 645 Ventures Co-founder and Managing Partner Nnamdi Okike is now a board observer for Cube's Board of Directors.

EV3 Global Buys Countable To Enhance Employee Engagement

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jun 11, 2024

Countable, a leading platform for digital community engagement, announced it has been acquired by EV3 Global, a technology innovator in employment intelligence and AI. This deal expands EV3 Global’s capabilities by integrating an employee engagement solution and adding experts in Employee Experience to its team, enhancing EV3 Global’s ability to address the trillion-dollar employee turnover problem.

High Alpha: $125 Million Fund Closed For Fourth Fund

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jun 11, 2024

Venture firm High Alpha announced that it raised $125 million for its fourth and largest fund to date. Creating and investing in 90+ early-stage SaaS companies across North America since 2015, High Alpha IV is a strategic evolution that combines company building and investing into a single entity focused on helping entrepreneurs and the companies they lead reach their full potential.

Cognigy: AI-Based Customer Service Automation Company Raises $100 Million

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jun 11, 2024

Cognigy, a leader in AI-first customer service automation, announced that it has raised $100 million in Series C funding. The round was led by Eurazeo Growth, with participation from existing investors Insight Partners, DTCP, DN Capital, and others. The new funding round will accelerate Cognigy’s mission to deliver AI-first customer service at scale.

Keragon: AI-Based HIPAA-Compliant Automation Platform Raises $3 Million

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jun 11, 2024

Keragon, an AI-based HIPAA-compliant automation platform for healthcare, officially launched out of stealth and revealed that it raised $3 million in pre-seed funding. The pre-seed funding round was co-led by Focal and Afore, followed by 25 Madison Health - Lifepoint Health.

M^0: Decentralized Cryptodollar Infrastructure Company Raises $35 Million

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jun 11, 2024

M^0, a decentralized infrastructure layer for the issuance of crypto dollar assets, announced a Series A fundraising totaling $35 million in connection with the deployment of the M^0 core protocol and on-chain governance mechanism on Ethereum Mainnet. The Series A funding round was led by Bain Capital Crypto (Bain Capital’s crypto investment platform).

Mistral AI: €600 Million Raised At About A €6 Billion Valuation

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jun 11, 2024

Mistral AI, a Paris-based open and portable generative AI service for developers and businesses, announced it has raised €600 million in a Series B funding round. General Catalyst led the round, which also included Lightspeed, Andreessen Horowitz, Bpifrance, BNP Paribas, Nvidia, Salesforce, Samsung, and IBM. The valuation of the company is now estimated to be about €6 billion.

Brightwave: AI-Based Financial Research Assistant Company Raises $6 Million

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jun 11, 2024

Brightwave, an AI-powered research assistant that generates insightful, trustworthy financial analysis on any subject, today announced $6 million in seed funding. This funding round was led by Decibel Partners, with backing from Point72 Ventures, Moonfire Ventures, and angel investors including executives from OpenAI, Databricks, Uber, and LinkedIn.

c/side: How This Cybersecurity Company Optimizes Vulnerable Browser-Side Third-Party Scripts

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jun 11, 2024

c/side is a cybersecurity company that develops solutions for monitoring, optimizing, and securing vulnerable browser-side third-party scripts. Pulse 2.0 interviewed c/side CEO Simon Wijckmans to learn more about the company.

Cisco: $1 Billion Global AI Investment Fund Revealed

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jun 10, 2024

Cisco Investments (the global corporate venture investment arm of Cisco) launched a $1 billion AI investment fund to support the startup ecosystem and expand the development of secure and reliable AI solutions. As part of the new AI fund, Cisco is making strategic investments in Cohere, Mistral AI, and Scale AI, among others, to advance customers’ AI readiness and complement Cisco’s AI innovation strategy. Cisco already committed nearly $200 million of the $1 billion investment fund to date.

Jump: Financial Advisor AI Platform Company Raises $4.6 Million

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jun 10, 2024

Jump, an AI software platform for financial advisors, announced today that it has raised $4.6 million in funding led by Sorenson Capital with participation from Pelion Venture Partners and strategic angel investors.

Cloudera Acquiring Verta’s Operational AI Platform

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jun 10, 2024

Enterprise AI data company Cloudera announced it has deepened its AI expertise with its acquisition of Verta’s Operational AI Platform. And the Verta team will join Cloudera’s machine learning group, reporting to Chief Product Officer Dipto Chakravarty.

Stratos Wealth Advisors Adds $120 Million Pistone Team

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jun 10, 2024

Stratos Wealth Advisors (a part of Stratos Wealth Holdings) announced it has successfully recruited the multi-generational Pistone Wealth Advisors of Pepper Pike, Ohio. Pistone is led by President and CEO Karyn Pistone, who manages $120 million in client assets. The team also includes Senior Advisor Spencer Dieck, Practice Manager Linda Tekavec, and Advisor David Taucher.

CIM Group: $125 Million Loan Commitment To Support Applied Digital’s Computing Campus In North Dakota

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jun 10, 2024

Today CIM Group announced that it closed on an initial $125 million loan commitment with a potential increase up to $200 million to Applied Digital. This loan will fund construction of Applied Digital’s High-Performance Computing (HPC) Campus in Ellendale, North Dakota. The data center is designed to provide massive computing power and support HPC applications.

Permira: Substantial Investment In PharmaCord Revealed

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jun 10, 2024

Global investment firm Permira and PharmaCord, a leading provider of patient services for the pharmaceutical industry, announced that a company backed by the Permira funds has signed a definitive agreement to make a substantial investment in PharmaCord.

Sware: Life Sciences Software Validation Solution Company Raises $6 Million

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jun 10, 2024

Sware, a provider of the most complete software validation solution for innovative life sciences companies, announced that it raised $6 million in Series B funding, bringing its total raised since inception to $26 million. This funding round was led by First Analysis, which joins a syndicate of existing investors that includes LRVHealth, New Stack Ventures, and Insight Partners.

Tektonic AI: $10 Million Secured To Develop Gen AI Agents For Enterprises

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jun 10, 2024

Tektonic AI, a company building GenAI agents for enterprise processes, announced $10 million in funding led by Madrona and Point72 Ventures. Launched by Nic Surpatanu, Tektonic aims to automate the manual workflows that other methods leave unaddressed.

BairesDev: An Interview With CEO And Co-Founder Nacho De Marco

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jun 10, 2024

BairesDev is an expert partner that works along with clients to build high-quality software solutions with speed and precision. Pulse 2.0 interviewed BairesDev CEO and co-founder Nacho De Marco to learn more about the company.

Workbox: National Workspace Operator Company Raises $17.5 Million

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jun 10, 2024

Workbox, a Chicago-based national workspace operator, announced it raised $17.5 million in its Series A equity round with a follow-on option to secure an additional $5.5 million. Led by Chicago Atlantic, this funding round will help Workbox accelerate its growth across the US. So far, Workbox has raised over $25 million in total capital ahead of its follow-on allocation.

Torpago: Commercial Credit Card And Spend Management Company Raises $10 Million

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jun 10, 2024

Torpago, a commercial credit card and spend management provider, announced it raised $10 million in a Series B funding round. This funding round was co-led by Priority Tech Ventures (a division of Priority Technology Holdings) and EJF Ventures, with participation from BankTech Ventures and other existing investors.

Bain Capital Buying PowerSchool For $5.6 Billion

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jun 10, 2024

PowerSchool, a leading provider of cloud-based software for K-12 education, announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to be acquired by Bain Capital in a transaction valuing the company at $5.6 billion.

Viaduct: $10 Million Raised To Solve And Predict Product Failures

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jun 10, 2024

Viaduct, a developer of pioneering AI technology that identifies, solves, and predicts product failures, announced the closing of a $10 million Series B funding led by FM Capital. FM Capital was joined by Innovation Endeavors, Exor Ventures, Stellantis Ventures, and Sumitomo Rubber.

Innovation

The Sandbox: $20 Million Raised At $1 Billion Valuation Cap

BankTech Ventures Reveals Three Recent Investments

Kardium: $104 Million Raised To Help Treat Atrial Fibrillation

Booz Allen Acquires PAR Government Systems

Cube: $25 Million Raised To Help Companies Manage And Optimize Analytics Workflows

EV3 Global Buys Countable To Enhance Employee Engagement

High Alpha: $125 Million Fund Closed For Fourth Fund

Cognigy: AI-Based Customer Service Automation Company Raises $100 Million

Keragon: AI-Based HIPAA-Compliant Automation Platform Raises $3 Million

M^0: Decentralized Cryptodollar Infrastructure Company Raises $35 Million

Mistral AI: €600 Million Raised At About A €6 Billion Valuation

Brightwave: AI-Based Financial Research Assistant Company Raises $6 Million

c/side: How This Cybersecurity Company Optimizes Vulnerable Browser-Side Third-Party Scripts

Cisco: $1 Billion Global AI Investment Fund Revealed

Jump: Financial Advisor AI Platform Company Raises $4.6 Million

Cloudera Acquiring Verta’s Operational AI Platform

Stratos Wealth Advisors Adds $120 Million Pistone Team

CIM Group: $125 Million Loan Commitment To Support Applied Digital’s Computing Campus In North Dakota

Permira: Substantial Investment In PharmaCord Revealed

Sware: Life Sciences Software Validation Solution Company Raises $6 Million

Tektonic AI: $10 Million Secured To Develop Gen AI Agents For Enterprises

BairesDev: An Interview With CEO And Co-Founder Nacho De Marco

Workbox: National Workspace Operator Company Raises $17.5 Million

Torpago: Commercial Credit Card And Spend Management Company Raises $10 Million

Bain Capital Buying PowerSchool For $5.6 Billion

Viaduct: $10 Million Raised To Solve And Predict Product Failures

Wavelogix: Purdue University Concrete Sensor Spinout Secures $3 Million

Clean Energy Ventures: $305 Million Fund II Closed To Invest In Climate Innovations

Millie: Providing End-To-End Maternity Care In A $50 Billion Market

Town Lane: $1.25 Billion Raised For Inaugural Real Estate Investment Fund